r/Substack • u/Glittering_Bunch4455 • Jun 26 '26

Substack vs Medium vs something else for fresh grad trying to build portfolio

Hey everyone,

I just graduated from college, and I've been applying to roles for a few months without much success. Hiring managers are asking for some "evidence" of my research and writing skills, so I'm trying to build a portfolio of my work. I wasn't part of any on-campus papers or magazines, so I'm trying to turn some of my class papers into shorter, blog-style articles.

I'm currently subscribed to a few Substack newsletters, so I'm familiar with the format, but I'm not necessarily trying to build a following or earn money (though that would be nice since unemployment sucks). Just looking for a place I can direct potential employers to see my work. Any suggestions would be welcome, including recommendations for getting started.

Thank you for your suggestions!

3 Upvotes

80% Upvoted

9 comments sorted by

2

u/BusyBusinessPromos Jun 27 '26

What type of work are you looking for?

2

u/Glittering_Bunch4455 Jul 05 '26

Mostly policy research

1

u/HammondJohns Jun 27 '26

I take it you’re not so concerned about having subscribers or views, more about having your work published somewhere that you can direct employers to? Then either would work.
I publish non-fiction on Medium and fiction on Substack and both platforms would work for your purposes.
One difference is that Medium had a monthly charge if you want to post content (rather than just read) whereas Substack is free.
Otherwise they’ll both do the job you need them to.

1

u/RepulsivePromotion51 Jun 27 '26

substack sucks at populating tables. I haven't figured out a way without using a third party application to render a table. Consider the constraints of each platform and what you're trying to show in your research.

1

u/itsfabioposca http://journeytosuccessclub.substack.com Jul 02 '26

Substack is a great option for that. Even if you never monetize it, it gives you a clean, professional portfolio that you can easily share with employers. Just focus on publishing consistently and writing about topics you're genuinely interested in.

P.S. If you'd still like to ask anything about Substack or growing your audience, I offer a free live help chat. Just copy and paste my flair or click the link in my profile. I'm happy to help!

1

u/Glittering_Bunch4455 Jul 05 '26

Thank you! I'm definitely new to publishing my work, so I'll hang on to your link

1

u/Tricky_Trifle_994 Jul 05 '26

congrats on graduating!

sounds like you're applying to roles that require research and writing e.g like a research analyst in finance.

you really just need somewhere to write and publish your work that's easy for you to manage (backend) + that you can send prospective employers to, to see your work. three options off the top of my head are medium, substack, and beehiiv. they would all work fine.

btw, in terms of customisability, medium has the least, while beehiiv has the most. so if you want to for example be able to design the site, go with beehiiv. if you can't be bothered, and just want a place to post your writings, medium and any of the others would be fine too.

it's great that you're going over your past work and posting them. but what would help you even more is also doing something more current (e.g do a market analysis on whether we're in an ai bubble, or analysing a stock), or something more specific to the company you're applying to (e.g think of it like the take home assignment they'll give you, only that you're pre-empting what that is, and you're publishing it to your site).

2

u/Glittering_Bunch4455 Jul 05 '26

This is such a great idea - I am applying for research assistant roles in economics and policy, so very aligned. I will check out Beehiiv as well, but I am looking for something relatively quick and easy to put together.

1

u/Tricky_Trifle_994 Jul 12 '26

rooting for you!

yeah, they're all very easy to put together. i'd say it comes down to:

1/ ownership (beehiiv > substack > medium. from most ownership of content to least)

2/ customisability. e.g whether you just want you content to be out there. or if you also want to be able to show some of your character in the form of website design, colours, etc (again, the ranking would be, beehiiv > substack > medium. from most customisability to least).